


Sharks Don't Hover!

by MyriahKamm



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-30
Updated: 2013-11-30
Packaged: 2018-01-03 00:54:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1063734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyriahKamm/pseuds/MyriahKamm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin finds out that Rei almost drowned at the Iwatobi Swim Club training camp. Thinking about what life would be like without Rei, Rin decides to protect his boyfriend from everything under the sun...especially the pool.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sharks Don't Hover!

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a prompt from toxixpumpkin (http://toxixpumpkin.tumblr.com/): "What if Rin learns about the time Rei almost died and becomes really over protective and is constantly checking up on Rei but trying to be sneaky about it (Because he’s Rin oh my gosh).  
>  Soon Rei is like “WTF Mate???” and Rin is trying to deny his hovering and Rei is not convinced. So Rin caves and explains that the Training camp story actually made him really upset because the thought of Rei not being there was scary to him."

“Push harder, Rei!” Rin yelled as Rei touched the wall of the pool and did an open turn. Their eyes met for a split second before Rei kicked off the wall, turning his face back into the water, and resumed swimming the butterfly.

A sharp-toothed grin crossed Rin's face as he watched the other teen swim. Rei had improved quite a lot in such a short amount of time, and Rin had no qualms taking most of the credit for that. He and Aiichiro had been attending mini-joint practices with the Iwatobi Swim Club pretty much ever since the relay that had changed everything. Rin, as a subtle (or not so subtle) way of paying Rei back for the relay, had decided to take him under his wing and teach him how to _really_ swim butterfly.

Some weeks ago, when the two boys had been perusing some swimming books at Rei's place, one thing had led to another and soon they'd been kissing. Rin couldn't even remember which one of them had initiated it, but it hadn't really mattered at the time. They'd both wanted it. They'd both needed it. Within a few more days, they'd started dating.

Rei understood Rin better than anyone; that's why he'd known the relay was what he'd needed. He couldn't speak to Rei's feelings, but Rin felt as though the blue-haired teen was his soul mate. Only a soul mate could understand him so acutely.

“Look at Rei-chan go!” Nagisa cheered, his pink eyes sparkling in admiration.

“He really has improved a lot,” Makoto agreed with a nod and a smile.

Haru watched as passively as ever without saying a word. His eyes were fixed on Rei. Rin knew that even _Haru_ couldn't deny that Rei was getting better.

“You'd never believe he almost drowned during our training camp!” Nagisa added, sounding even more excited as they all watched Rei make the turn at the far end of the pool.

Rin's gaze shot toward the short blonde, eyes widening. He _must_ have heard him wrong. There was no way that Rei had almost died, and hadn't mentioned it to him.

“Huh?” he asked, brow furrowing now. “What the hell are you talking about, Nagisa?”

Nagisa looked at him, frowning and looking confused. “Don't you know, Rin-chan? When we were at our training camp in the ocean, Rei-chan almost drowned! He got caught swimming at night when a storm blew up out of nowhere!”

“Swimming at _night_?!” He shot a glare at Makoto. “What kind of idiot would let him do _that_?”

Makoto raised his hands in a defensive gesture, smiling and laughing uneasily. “I-it was an accident, actually. You know how persistent he is. But it's okay, Rin! He _didn't_ drown.”

“It's his own fault,” Haru muttered, looking only slightly annoyed in that barely-showing-emotion way he always did. “He shouldn't have tried to swim alone when the water didn't like him.”

“Oh, _shut up,_ Haru,” Rin grumbled. He looked at Rei, who was nearing the wall, almost finished with his lap. A knot formed in his stomach as he really processed this information. Rei had almost drowned, long before they'd even met. Rei had almost...

There was a splash as Rei's hands hit the wall and he rose to his feet in the pool. He pulled off his goggles, breathing heavily. He looked up, meeting Rin's gaze, a small smile on his lips.

“Well?” he panted. “How did I do?”

Rin couldn't bring himself to speak. He was overwhelmed with emotions he couldn't really understand. He was worried that he'd start crying if he tried to speak, and that would ruin his image. Not to mention it would worry Rei.

“ _Tch_.” He gave Rei a nod before turning and making his way over to the stairs. He went down the stairs and into the locker room, pulling the towel from around his shoulders and throwing it at the wall angrily. The sound of footsteps drew his attention to the doorway.

“Rin-senpai?” Aiichiro looked anxious. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, Ai,” Rin grumbled, heading over to his bag and beginning to rummage through it, trying to look busy. “I'm just not feeling all that well.”

“Can I help at all?”

Ever the attentive _kouhai_ , Aiichiro picked up Rin's towel and offered it to him. Taking a deep breath to keep himself from snapping at his junior, Rin took the towel and ran it over his face.

“Thanks, but I'll be okay. I just need a few minutes.”

“O-okay. I'll tell the others.” And with that, the younger boy headed back out to the pool.

Rin pulled the towel over his head and rummaged through his bag for a few more minutes. When he finally found the purple and yellow stuffed butterfly and pulled it out of the bag, he breathed a sigh of relief. It had been a gift from Rei shortly after they'd started dating. Rin would never let anyone else catch him with it, but it definitely made him feel more secure at the moment. It was proof that Rei was there, that he was all right, that he was alive.

When he heard the others coming into the locker room, he shoved the butterfly back into his bag. He dried his hair off with the towel, pulled on a shirt, stripped off his suit, and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. Rei was at his side in a matter of a moment or two.

“Is everything all right, Rin-san?”

He glanced to his left, where Rei was now standing, drying off with his own towel. The blue-haired boy set the towel on the bench in front of them and adjusted his red-rimmed glasses. Rin's heart sank a little at Rei's use of the honorific. They hadn't exactly told anyone yet that they were dating, which was part of the reason the younger teen continued to use honorifics with his name. But it hurt him to some extent, even if he would never show it. He clenched his jaw a bit, then smirked and flipped his hair back.

“Fine, Speedo _Megane_ ,” he said, his tone a little crueler than he'd intended. “Just needed a little breather.”

A small smile crossed Rei's lips. He gave the tiniest of nods, likely imperceptible to any of the others.

“Your butterfly is getting better,” Rin chuckled. “You sucked a lot less than normal today.”

_Why do you always start insulting people when you're uncomfortable?_ he asked himself. He seriously felt like punching himself in the face for saying that.

“Your assistance has really helped, Rin-san.”

He was glad that Rei was able to deflect his cruelty so easily.

“Would you like to get dinner on the way back, Rin-senpai?” Aiichiro asked, clearly unaware of the tension between Rin and Rei as he got dressed to Rin's right.

The redhead glanced surreptitiously at Rei. He really just wanted to stick by his boyfriend to alleviate his own anxiety. But almost as soon as he'd thought that, Nagisa grabbed Rei's arm and turned the younger teen to look at him.

“You're still going to help me with my math homework, right, Rei-chan?” the blonde asked, a comical pout displayed on his face.

“Of course, Nagisa-kun,” he replied, rolling his eyes a bit. He gave Rin an apologetic look. Rin shook his head a bit before looking at Aiichiro.

“Yeah, let's get something to eat, Ai,” he muttered. He packed his suit and towel into his bag before zipping it up and throwing it over his shoulder. “See you guys later.”

 

\---------

 

That night, Rin couldn't sleep. Every time he shut his eyes, he saw Rei struggling in the ocean as dark waves battered him and the wind blew around him and rain drenched him. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Rei fighting, his arms reaching desperately upward, slapping the water in a frantic attempt to pull his head above it. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Rei sink beneath the waves and fail to resurface.

Every time he closed his eyes, he watched Rei drown.

Rin got out of bed and went over to his bag. He dug around inside of it until he found the stuffed butterfly, taking it back over to his bed. He sat down, hugging the butterfly close to his chest, and grabbed his phone, opening it. He didn't really _want_ to bother Rei, since it was almost two in the morning...but he wouldn't be able to sleep until he heard his voice. Feeling a bit guilty, he dialed Rei's number and put the phone to his ear.

“...hello...?” Rei's tired voice said on the other end of the line after a few rings.

“...yo, Rei...sorry for waking you...” Rin murmured, feeling ridiculous and uncomfortable.

“...Rin? Is...something wrong?”

“No, I just...I couldn't sleep.”

“...it's quite late, Rin.”

“...yeah...I'm sorry...” Rin sighed, hugging the stuffed butterfly tightly with his free arm. “Can I...come over in the morning?”

He heard Rei stifle a yawn. “I was planning on heading to the pool to practice in the morning.”

Rin felt his stomach clench. No. He didn't want Rei to swim. It was ridiculous, but he didn't want Rei to swim. He imagined Rei drowning and him just standing there unable to do anything, and...

“...Rin?”

He flinched, gripping the phone tighter. “I'm sorry for bothering you.”

Hanging up the phone hurriedly, Rin lay back down and hugged the butterfly tightly once again. He closed his eyes and buried his face in his boyfriend's gift. He wasn't sure how long it took, but he eventually fell asleep.

 

\---------

 

“I wonder who would do such a thing?” Rei muttered as he and Rin walked back toward the train station.

“Huh?” Rin asked, adjusting the strap of his backpack on his shoulder.

“Who would sabotage our pool? The swim club is far too new to have made any real enemies. Why would someone put dye in the pool?”

“Beats me.” Rin stuffed his hands into his pockets in an effort to keep himself preoccupied. He didn't want to appear guilty. He just really couldn't handle the thought of Rei swimming right now, so he'd had to think of _something_ to keep him from practicing. “So what do you want to do today?”

Rei sighed heavily. “What I _really_ want to do is figure out who did this, to be honest. I want to know who would do this, and I want to know why. That dye will likely stain the pool surface, and we'll have to repaint it, which will only disrupt our practice time even more.”

_Dammit,_ Rin thought, clenching his teeth. _This isn't what I wanted. He'll find out it was me, and he'll get pissed. Why can't you just let it go this once?_

He should have expected it. He knew how tenacious his boyfriend was. He should have known Rei would want answers. Hell, it was part of the reason Rin loved him so much.

“We could go for a jog,” he suggested. “It would help you blow off some steam.”

“This is important, Rin. Someone is trying to hurt my team. I can't just stand by and let that happen.”

“What are _you_ really going to be able to find out, though? You said yourself that the swim club doesn't have any enemies. If no one has a grudge against you, why should it matter? It was probably just some stupid prank.”

Rei stopped walking, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “I'm sure whoever did it left _some_ kind of clues behind. I should go back and check it out.”

“Come on, Rei!” Rin scowled at him, his eyes narrowing a bit. This whole situation was beginning to annoy him, not least of all because he could easily be found out if Rei actually dug into the occurrence. “This is a chance to have fun! To take a day off from swimming and, oh I don't know, go on a _date_ or something!”

“I think it would be prudent to find out who's behind this sooner rather than later. This could affect the swim club's performance.”

“Are you kidding me?!” Rin glared at the younger teen. “Just drop it already! It was probably just a stupid prank! Despite what you and Nagisa think, you're _not_ a damn detective! Instead of wasting your time trying to figure out something that doesn't matter, why not _spend some time_ with me?!”

Rei stared at him in shock, and Rin immediately felt bad about yelling at him. But that discomfort, that guilt, only made him angrier. All he was trying to do was protect his boyfriend, after all. Why was that such a bad thing? He knew Rei would misinterpret it if he found out that Rin was the one to put dye in the pool, and...

“ _Tch_. Fine,” he grumbled, turning, stuffing his hands into his pockets again, and starting to walk toward the train station once more. “Do whatever you want.”

“Rin, wait.”

He glanced back at Rei over his shoulder.

“You're right,” Rei said slowly, walking toward him and touching his arm gently. “It's probably just a prank, and I should leave it to the teachers to take care of. I just...it hurts to think that someone would want to hinder our team. The swim club means a lot to me.”

“I know.” Rin reached up to take his hand. “I know it means a lot to you. But you spend a _lot_ of time worrying about the team and your teammates, and barely any worrying about yourself.”

_Which is why you almost drowned, you idiot,_ he thought, but bit his tongue before he actually said it.

“Let's go for that jog,” Rei suggested, offering Rin a small smile as he adjusted his glasses with his free hand.

 

\---------

 

It turned out that the dye _did_ stain the pool surface, so the Iwatobi Swim Club was forced to cancel practice for the next few days in order to clean and repaint everything. It honestly made Rin feel better, because it meant he didn't have to worry about Rei drowning.

He knew it was a ridiculous thing to be afraid of. Rei was a great swimmer at this point, and only improving whenever he practiced. Not to mention the fact that when he'd nearly drowned before, it had been at sea during a storm at night. The pool wouldn't be nearly as dangerous, and Rei was a stronger swimmer now. There was no reason to assume that he might drown.

There were other things Rin had found himself having to do in order to alleviate his anxieties over the past few days. While they'd been jogging, Rei had tripped and skinned his knee; Rin had nearly flipped out completely, but had managed to keep his composure long enough to get him home and deal with the wound. The next day, they'd been eating lunch together and Rei had swallowed wrong, nearly giving Rin a heart attack when he'd started coughing. And whenever they'd been hanging out in the past few days, Rin had been overly vigilant, glaring at anyone who might have been looking at Rei the wrong way.

At the moment, he was sitting in Rei's room with him, _trying_ to read one of Rei's many swimming books. He wasn't getting very far, though, because he was tense and anxious and he just _couldn't get the image of Rei drowning out of his head._ It was driving him insane. Why had Nagisa even mentioned it?

“...Rin?”

He looked up at Rei, more than a little annoyed. Usually, they just sat next to each other quietly to read, one only saying anything when the other had set his book aside. The fact that Rei was interrupting him irked him. Because he hadn't been sleeping much lately due to the anxiety and the thoughts of what life would be like _without_ Rei, he was incredibly on edge.

“ _What?”_ he demanded, trying desperately to sound amicable.

“Let me check your blood pressure.”

Rin raised an eyebrow. What the hell? Why would Rei suggest something so freaking _weird_?

“Huh?” he asked, frowning a bit.

“Let me check your blood pressure,” Rei repeated, grabbing Rin's arm and holding his fingers to his wrist. “Your pulse is erratic. Have you been eating right? Have you been getting enough sleep?”

“What the hell, Rei?” The redhead pulled his arm away, brow furrowing. “What are you talking about?”

Rei sighed. “You've been acting very strangely lately. You're tense all the time, on edge. And you've been, for lack of a better word, _hovering_.”

“'Hovering'?”

“You keep a very close eye on me lately, and you always seem to be around, and you're...you're angrier than normal. It seems almost as though you're being...possessive.”

Rin frowned, and then it turned into a scowl. He set his book aside, running a hand over his face.

“I thought I was being more subtle than that,” he grumbled.

“You, subtle?” Rei smiled a soft smile, but it faded quickly. “What's wrong, Rin? What's bothering you? Why are you acting like this?”

Rin looked at him, frowning again. Rei was really observant; he should have realized he would notice that something was wrong. He should have realized...his boyfriend knew him better than anyone. It had been true before they'd even started dating. So keeping all of this a secret wasn't worth it, he decided. It wouldn't stay a secret for long, anyway.

“Nagisa and Makoto mentioned that you almost drowned during your training camp,” he muttered, lowering his gaze to the ground. Tears stung his eyes. He clasped his hands around each other, frowning. His eyes narrowed a bit. “Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you mention that you almost died?”

“I...didn't think it was important,” Rei replied slowly. “We didn't know each other when it happened, and I thought you might just see the event as proof that I was terrible at swimming.”

“You...you could have died before we even _knew each other_.” The tears started rolling down Rin's cheeks now. “...I...I can't imagine not knowing you, Rei...”

“...Rin...”

“If I'd never met you, I probably would have quit swimming,” the redhead stammered, sniffling a bit. He squeezed his own hands tightly. “If I'd never seen you swim with them, I'd have kept trying to reach the Olympics and never would have made it and I'd have quit. If you'd never come to talk to me, I never would have figured out what the hell I _wanted_. If...if you'd never let me take your place in the relay...I...I'd probably be pretty miserable right now...”

“...Rin...you don't have to—”

“It scares me so much,” Rin interrupted, looking up at Rei, fully aware that he probably looked like hell at the moment with tears spilling from his eyes. He could feel that his eyes were red and swollen from crying. “It scares me that you almost died. I keep...having nightmares of you alone in the ocean, drowning...I don't want anything to happen to you.”

The blue-haired teen took Rin's face in his hands and pulled him close, pressing a kiss to his lips. Rin fought back sobs as they kissed. After a moment, Rei pulled back and wrapped his boyfriend in a hug, pulling his head to his chest. Rin could no longer keep the sobs at bay; he clutched at Rei's shirt and buried his face in his chest, his crying becoming hysterical. He never wanted Rei to let him go. If he remained here with Rei's arms around him, he would know for _sure_ that he wouldn't die.

Rei's hand found its way to Rin's back and began rubbing it in a comforting gesture. After probably fifteen minutes, Rin calmed down. But he didn't move. He didn't want to. He shifted his head the slightest bit to rest his ear against Rei's chest. He could hear his boyfriend's heartbeat, steady and calm. It was reassuring. It was real, solid proof that he was alive. Proof that he was...

“I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Rin,” Rei murmured. “I...I didn't think it would matter to you all that much.”

“Of _course_ it matters.” He looked up to see tears rolling down the other boy's cheeks, too. He reached up to wipe the tears away from his face. “I...I _love_ you, Rei. I can't stand the thought of never having known you.”

Rei smiled, pulling Rin up into another kiss.

“I love you, too,” he replied quietly. “But you don't have to worry about me so much. You don't have to keep hovering.”

“Sharks don't hover,” Rin chuckled, sitting up straighter and wiping his own eyes roughly. “They stalk. They attack.”

“I suppose you're right.” Taking off his glasses for a moment to clean them, Rei glanced at the redhead out of the corner of his eye. “So the riddle of whoever dyed our pool isn't really as mysterious as it seemed, is it?”

A blush of embarrassment filled Rin's cheeks as he looked away. “Had to keep you out of the water _somehow_. I kept worrying that you'd drown.”

“Lack of logic in that assumption aside, Haruka-senpai is going to be _furious_ when he finds out it was you.”

Rin's gaze shot toward him. “...oh, hell. You _can't_ tell him, Rei.”

“Perhaps there's a way you could convince me _not_ to,” Rei offered suggestively, smirking a bit as he put his glasses back on and adjusted them on his face that dorky way he always did that hid the lower half of face beneath his hand.

Smirking himself, Rin pulled Rei close and kissed him.

“Oh, I'm sure I can think of _something_ ,” he chuckled.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to use your imagination to figure out how Rin convinces Rei not to tell Haru. I wanted to keep this PG-rated. :P
> 
> As always, constructive criticism is appreciated!


End file.
